Long before Citizen Kane was released, the infighting began over who— Mankiewicz or Welles— was responsible for writing the script.

That argument grew over the decades as Citizen Kane’s stature rose to that of film legend. the controversy was fueled for decades by conflicting stories: John Houseman credited Welles with the visual presentation of Citizen Kane but gave total responsibility for the script to Mankiewicz – saying in his later years that “Welles didn’t write a word”—even though evidence in his own files and correspondence proved otherwise.

Welles, on the other hand, acknowledged “Mankie” for writing the original draft of the screenplay but also took credit for writing many key scenes.

Film critic Pauline Kael, who in an essay that later became a book heavily favored Mankiewicz well past the point of objectivity, helped continue the debate thirty years after the film was released. (Later, it was learned that Kael declined to interview Welles for her essay, nor did she talk with other people involved in the production. She also ignored opportunities to accurately characterize Welles’ involvement by not fact- checking information that was easily available in studio files.)

Director–film historian Peter Bogdanovich, as a rebuttal to Kael’s writing, produced a more balanced and factually accurate account of each writer’s roles in writing the script.

The dispute began in late August 1940, when Mankiewicz became enraged after seeing Welles quoted in Louella Parsons’ column: “So I wrote Citizen Kane.” Mankiewicz, said publicist Herb Drake to Welles, “is in the biggest fever yet.

“Mr. M. threatens to ‘come down on you,’ ” wrote Drake, “because you are a ‘juvenile delinquent credit stealer’ ”. . .